This super-white coating was inspired by a beetle’s scales

For years, titanium dioxide has been the go-to ingredient to create white products, from paint to donuts. However, after the EU banned it in 2022 due to health concerns, companies have been looking for alternatives. Seprify, a Swiss startup, has created a new white coating inspired by a beetle. The company's CEO, Lukas Schertel, explains that while it's easy to produce white materials, achieving a white color using minimal material and thin films is challenging. The beetles have mastered this over thousands of years of evolution.

Seprify's material is made from cellulose, which is abundant in plant life, and designed to mimic the structure of the beetle's scales to scatter light. The coating can replace titanium dioxide in various industries. Ikea, a major investor in Seprify, is testing it for furniture, where it reduces emissions by using half the material needed for conventional paint.

In food, the ingredient can be used in place of titanium dioxide, which has been banned in the EU. It can be found in hundreds of applications where titanium dioxide was used to brighten products. Some brands have already started eliminating it from their products. Research suggests that titanium dioxide may be harmful, with studies linking it to endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, and potential contributions to obesity and diabetes.

The company recently began commercial-scale production and hopes to compete with titanium dioxide in the future. By using biomaterials, Seprify aims to create sustainable solutions without compromising performance. Schertel believes that by demonstrating the benefits of this new coating, customers will become more accepting of other bio-based solutions.